Broken Wings
by RockRoy
Summary: Sam 'Roadmap' Cross joins CHERUB as their latest agent. Sam isn't your ordinary agent. He joins a group of agents who call themselves the Broken Wings Division. Find out how Sam learn to cope with his disability and growing up and being an agent. Rated T Please R
1. Broken Wings

**Broken Wings Division**

The cold was stinging like a thousand needles. The only sound he could hear was his breath brushing against the collar of the arctic suit that he was given alongside six other cadets. He was one of seven that had survived Basic Training until this day. Day 100. The final day to this torment. They had been dropped in a mountain range in Norway for the final five days of their training. The last stage was a trek across the mountains. They had received twenty four hours. He had one hour left.

'God. I should've have arrived by now.' he cursed against the wind that started to pick up again. 

Sam 'Roadmap' Cross, twelve years old, had only arrived at Cherub four months ago. He was recruited out of a children's home just outside Manchester. Fact was that Sam wasn't your ordinary Cherub cadet/agent. Besides having an uncanny ability to find the quickest route from point A to B in a matter of moments, Sam suffered from a condition that was called 'spastic diplegia'. This meant among others that he couldn't run very fast and got tired after walking great lengths. Sam had replaced his disability by a great amount of knowledge and intelligence, scoring one of the highest scores on the tests in the history of Cherub.

Sam finally reached the top of the hill and looked at the camp of tents that had been put up on a small plateau. He recognized the blue tents as the ones the instructors had used. Sam took out the timer and GPS beacon the cadets were instructed to wear at all times. He had forty minutes left. He stared at the steep hill that lead him to the camp. It would take him at least thirty five minutes to climb down.

'Fuck. There goes my chance of wiping that smug smile off of Jake's face.'

Sam let himself fall down into the snow and watched both of his legs twitch and tremble. That was always a bad sign. He was thinking about a way to get down, when the thought struck him. Gravity can do all the work for me. Sam unzipped his jacket and took off his boots.

'Do you think Sam'll be here on time?' asked Will. The six of them were sitting around a portable heater. They were drinking hot chocolate and wearing their grey shirts. Sam hated hot chocolate.

'I hope so, he deserves the shirt,' replied Quinn. She took another sip.

'Meh, I think he's still wandering in the snow somewhere. And besides does he really deserve the shirt? He could barely keep up when running the laps on the course. Ralph and Moira were always easy on him.'

'The hell they were,' exclaimed Pete. 'I had the impression that they wanted him to fail. And you know as well as we do, Jake, that the six of us wouldn't be here if Sam hadn't shown us the shortcut on the course.'

'He still has half an hour,' said Milly looking at the clock that was counting down. 'He'll be here, just to prove you're an absolute douche.'

'I don't think he'll need that half an hour,' said Cath from the outside. 'He's on his way.' She smiled.

The other five scrambled up and joined Cath just outside the tent. Cath pointed to a green figure sliding down the steep hillside. It went fast.

'The mental bastard,' said Jake as the other cheered Sam on.

Stiff as a board, Sam was descending the hill. He had had the idea to use his vest as a sledge. He had wedged his bare feet in the hood and had covered and securely fastened them with a lace. He had then stuffed his sweatshirt into his trousers. The final part was to place his boots into the vest as extra weight and to securely fasten the vest around his body and arms with the climbing rope he had kept from his backpack. And now he was sliding down the hill at increasing speed.

'Hell isn't to be searched below the earth, but in the heights of Norway and in room 101 at the medical office,' he said to himself while he kept sliding down. The cold was attacking him from all sides.

A thump sound echoed around the mountains when he arrived at the foot of the hill. The wind had been joined by a light snowstorm. Sam forced his arms out of the vest and started to untie his feet. He took out the timer and smiled. He had twenty minutes left. Sam saw the others and the instructors standing in front of their tents and smiled at the cheering cadets. He grabbed his boots and carried them in his hands while walking towards the instructors to receive his shirt. The wind and cold were cutting through his clothes.

As soon as he had reached the instructor's tent, Sam was rushed inside by Moira and Ralph.

'It's minus ten degrees celsius out there,' said Moira on a reprimanding tone. 'And you walk around like it's summer. Ralph, can you take off his wet socks and get his feet warmed up?'

Moira had pushed Sam into a bed and was checking his pulse and other vital signs.

A small light was shining in his eyes. 'Technically it is summer and besides, it can easily become minus twenty or more. And I can get my own socks off!'

'Don't talk back,' Ralph said while stripping off his socks and wrapped Sam's feet in a warmed up blanket. 'What were you thinking, walking through a feet of snow with nothing more than a pair of socks?'

'I was trying to make it in time to get my shirt. I did make it in time, right?'

'Yes, but that is less important than you getting out of here in a state that isn't worse than the one you had while going in. You don't want Dana to get mad at you, don't you?' asked Moira with a sadistic smile.

Sam stared at her with his eyes wide open. 'No.'

'Then here's your shirt. And you're not leaving this bed before the chopper has arrived, understood?' asked Ralph.

'Aye aye cap.'

Sam took off his wet sweatshirt and put the grey shirt on. He then dropped his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. Ten minutes later he was sleeping.

Moira re-entered the tent and saw Sam slowly breathing with his eyes closed. She pulled up the blanket to cover him up and turned up the heat. When Stephen Weswick, the main instructor for this BT, entered the tent, she motioned him to be quiet.

'I honestly thought he wouldn't make it,' he whispered.

'I think there were only a handful people who actually did,' Moira replied. 'The Broken Wings will probably be happy.'

'You think?' Stephen replied with faked surprise.

Suddenly Cath entered the tent and said: 'HQ just called, the helicopter will be here in fifteen minutes. We should be home around dinner-time.'

'Thank you Catherine,' replied Stephen. 'Moira, do you want to go and help the agents pack? I'll take care of Sam.'

'Sure, sir.'

The instructor took a seat on a chair and watched the latest Cherub agent snoozing gently.

That evening, the group entered the premises of the campus. After a quick check with campus security, the van parked in front of the main building. The Cherubs jumped out and stared at the main building. Or rather at the small crowd that had gathered in front of it.

Sam re-adjusted his backpack and smiled at the four Cherubs that were standing (or sitting for that matter) on the first row.

'Told you I would make it,' he said walking towards Mary 'Murdock' Collins.

She was eleven year old with raven black hair.

'As if we would ever have doubted that,' she replied with a small grin. She took a step forward and hugged him with the strength of a bear. Finn, the german shepherd that acted as Mary's guide dog walked over and licked his hand.

'Nice to see you too, Finn,' Sam replied.

'So you're over your fear of dogs?' asked Helen Smith, the fourteen year old redhead, while giving him his celebratory hug.

Sam bent over and accepted the hug. 'No, but this is different.'

'He's trembling like a leaf, but I'll buy it for this time,' said Taylor 'Slots' McKnight laughingly while holding his neck with her arm. Taylor was thirteen years old and had long brown hair that she wore in a braid.

'Are we done going all sentimental? I'm hungry and we've got to take the side entrance,' said Michael 'Wheels' Wilkins. The boys, the youngest and oldest (Wheels being thirteen years old), shook hands.

'Yeah lets go eat, the food on the flight was horrible.'

The group split in two, with Michael and Helen rolling their wheelchairs towards the side entrance, which allowed them to enter and take the elevator and Taylor, Sam and Mary climbing the stairs to the cafeteria. Finn had already climbed the stairs and was waiting for Mary.

Once the five of them had acquired their slices of the famous Cherub lasagna, they went to sit at a table against the wall. Sam started cutting his piece into smaller pieces while Helen poured everyone a glass of water.

'So, how was it?' asked Mary. She tapped her fork against her plate. With a slight smile she started eating.

'Gruesome, but totally worth it. They took us to Norway for the last part.'

'Sounds like BT to me,' replied Taylor with a mouthful. 'The Egyptian desert was pretty awesome.'

'Well I almost lost a foot and parts of my flesh to frostbite, but yes that was my BT.''

'Frostbite? What did you do this time?' asked Michael with a scowl.

'Walked through some snow in my socks to get this shirt,' replied Sam while tugging at the Cherub sitting on the globe.

'Bold, dangerous, but bold,' said Mary.

Sam shrugged his shoulders and continued eating his lasagna. 'It was a calculated risk, and besides I still have my two feet last time a checked.'

'Is there a reason you shouldn't have your two feet attached to your legs?' asked a familiar female voice.

Sam deposited his cutlery and looked at Kerry Chang who was standing at the end of the table. Her brown eyes stared at him with the famous 'no-nonsense glare'. Kerry Chang was his handler, alongside Dana Smith.

'Maybe,' Sam replied with a small voice.

'In the BT-report I received this evening the following sentence was mentioned: ''Cadet Cross entered the tent wearing nothing more than his socks, a soaked sweatshirt and his trousers. When removing the socks, a pair of ice-cold, cramped up feet showed themselves.'' Is your answer still maybe?'

'Fine. I might have done something that could have resulted in frostbite. But it didn't happen. And everything is working just fine.'

'That will be for Dana to decide,' Kerry replied. 'And here's your new schedule.'

She handed him a folded sheet of paper. Sam opened it and glanced it.

'Wait a second, I was to be able to sleep in on Wednesdays. Now I have to be in physiotherapy at 8:30 am?' exclaimed Sam,'and I have karate training at four with another session of physiotherapy at six on Thursday? And another on Mondays just after Math! Kerry, why do I have six hours of physiotherapy this week?'

'Oh, you're misunderstanding agent Cross, this is schedule is for the remainder of the academic year until summer,' Kerry replied with a grin. 'Enjoy your last hours of being able of to sleep in on Wednesday. O, wait.' Kerry chuckled and said goodbye to the almost complete Broken Wings Division.

'Let me see that,' said Helen, snatching the piece of paper out of his hands. 'Wow, this is indeed quite the schedule. Monday seems like your best day, with Phys, English, Math and ICT. Thursday seems the worst with French, History, Karate and Phys. At least you'll be seeing us more regularly. I'll be having ICT, English and Lit with you and Mary. You'll have math and sciences with Michael and History with Taylor and you'll have Mary all to yourself during French and Math. I'd have to check with Scott's schedule, but I think he's with you and Michael.'

'Well that's nice, now if you would excuse me. It's been a long day and I'd like to go to bed,' said Sam yawning. He grabbed the schedule and stuffed it in his bag.

'Before you go, we'd like to welcome you as an agent in the Broken Wings Division with a small gift,' said Mary. 'Taylor.'

Taylor laid the brand new latches and bolts on the table. 'Just another security measure to keep your door shut now that you're an agent.'

'You'll have to attach themselves or ask some help, there isn't a maintenance crew you can call.'

'Thanks guys, I'll do that first thing in the morning. Goodnight to you all. See you tomorrow.'

'Later, Roadmap,' said Mary with a smile. 

Sam exited the dinner-hall and walked down the stairs. Suddenly an athletic, muscular woman with blond hair and green eyes turned around the corner and climbed the stairs. She was wearing a white scrubs top and a pair of leggings. Sam gazed at his co-handler and physical therapist, Dana Smith. Sam passed her without saying a word. Just when he thought he was clear he heard her voice thundering in the stairwell.

'Eighty thirty sharp, Mister Cross, don't be late. We've got something to discuss. Sleep tight.'

Sam sighed and continued his way to his bedroom which was located on the first floor, next to Michael's and Scott's. He didn't even bother to change and climbed in his bed and went to sleep.

**A/N: I'm back with a brand new story. It takes place after Team Delta and will probably feature cameo's. Also Dana Smith will have a prominent role in this story (I haven't read all the books, so I might change her a bit). Please R&R.**


	2. Assets

Sam was lying on the table with nothing more than a bermuda and his grey shirt on. Dana was sitting cross legged at the end of the table. She was pushing his left foot in a ninety degree angle.

'You're not relaxing at all Sam,' Dana said. She changed her position by letting her legs dangle by the sides of the treatment table.

'It's not that easy. You should know that by now,' he replied.

'I do know, but you're not even remotely trying to relax your feet. It only makes my and your job more difficult.'

Sam sighed and closed his eyes. He breathed out. He tried to relax as much as possible.

'See. You can do it, you just need to try a bit harder,' Dana replied with a smile. She repeated the exercise with his right foot a couple of times.

'And what's the verdict?' Sam asked.

'No signs of any damage, so I could let you off the hook...'

'But?'

'Kerry suggested that a little punishment would be the right thing to do. And I agree, you are supposed to know better. You have to think twice before taking such a risk.'

Sam groaned. 'I did think about it, but I didn't exactly have a sea of time.'

'That won't save you from this one, Roadmap.' Dana grabbed his feet and forced Sam to bend his knees. 'Now, push.'

Sam braced himself and started pushing Dana away from him. Sam felt Dana resisting the motion.

'And relax,' Dana said while slowly releasing the pressure on Sam's legs.

They repeated that exercise five more times.

'And that's that,' Dana said while standing up and walking towards the sink to wash her hands.

'And the punishment?'

'That's for next time. A double session the balance board,' she replied smiling. 'Now off to computer class, and don't you dare to be late mister.'

Sam groaned and got dressed before dashing out of the room.

The classroom was quietly working on the latest assignment. They were supposed to write a text in a Word document and then do several things with it such as changing the font and other stuff.

'Miss,' said Helen while holding up her hand. 'I think there's a mistake in my time table.'

'How come?' asked Miss Rosewood.

'Well I can already hack almost any computer within fifteen minutes, depending on the security measures.'

'Can I have your name, agent ...?'

'Smith, Helen Smith, number 9543.'

Miss Rosewood nodded and walked over to her own computer and started searching something. After several minutes she came back to the Broken Wings.

'Excuse me, but are you perhaps agents Sam Cross and Mary Collins?' directing her question to Sam and Mary.

They both nodded.

'There's been a mix up for the three of you. This is the class for red shirts and other children who still need to learn the real computer basics. If you want, you can leave my class until your next period.'

'I have to admit that I was a little suspicious when seeing all these red shirts,' said Helen with a light chuckle.

'You'll receive a new schedule this afternoon. If I have this right, agents Collins and Cross are in the higher class, while you're in the most advanced class.'

'Thank you,' said Sam and Mary while gathering their packs. Not a moment later, the three Broken Wings were standing in the hallway.

'So, what's next?' asked Mary. 'I've got a free period after this.'

'I've got Math with Michael in an hour,' said Sam.

'We could just go out and chill a bit,' suggested Helen.

'Fine with me,' said Mary.

The Broken Wings made their way outdoors.

'So how did you get into Cherub?' asked Sam. He took another bite out of the apple he had swiped from the dining hall this morning and looked at the girls.

'I was recruited from an orphanage in Northern Ireland,' said Mary. 'I kinda freaked out when waking up here. Apparently I was chosen for my abilities.'

'Abilities?' asked Sam.

'Basically, that I can 'see' while being blind.'

'I hacked the mainframe of a shell corporation with a dingy laptop from a childrens home in the greater London area. And that shell corporation was a cover for a MI branch. I was twelve at the moment,' said Helen. 'They determined I was a prodigy of some sorts. What about you?'

'I actually have no idea. I was in a children's home in Manchester when I was abducted and given the choice to join Cherub by Asker. I really don't have any abilities except I can find my way on a map pretty quickly. And according to Zara and Kerry I'm supposed to be really smart, but I don't really feel that way.

'And why's that? asked Mary. 'Do you mind if I call out Finn? He's stuck in my room until I return from classes, but we have this spare time...'

'Go ahead,' said Sam. Mary blew on the dog whistle. 'And you know, its the "problem". If I look around me I can only see a lot of athletic, well trained, fighting machines. What do a high IQ and the ability to find a quick getaway have as an asset when I'm easily outrunned by a bunch of six and seven year olds?'

'Well if you say it like that it really does seem not all that great,' replied Helen. 'But I can easily predict that that high IQ will come in handy on missions.'

Before Sam could make another remark, a dark spot was rapidly coming towards them. Finn was racing to be close to Mary. Sam also noticed a second figure jogging towards them.

'Good boy,' commented Mary while Finn was licking her hand. She gave him a treat. Finn laid himself down and placed his head on Mary's lap.

'Well look at that, Scott has finally returned,' said Helen when the second figure arrived.

Sam stared at the final member of the Broken Wings. Scott was rather tall and muscular for his age. He had blond hair that was cut just below shoulder length, his blue eyes scanned the group and rested a little bit on Sam. He was wearing a pair of jeans, sneakers and a green hoodie.

'Don't be mad with me, blame those damn terrorists. It took them long enough to get their plan in motion,' said Scott with an accent that Sam couldn't immediately place. 'But I see you've made a new friend. Scott Freeman.'

'Sam Cross,' replied Sam whilst shaking Scott's hand.

'So do the Broken Wings have a new member?' asked Scott a bit cheerfully.

'Yes,' replied Helen. 'Sam has arrived and passed BT when you were sitting on your lazy butt in God knows where.'

'Hey! I wasn't sitting on my butt the entire time, I had to get up from time to time to grab some food out of the fridge,' Scott replied with a grin.

'Jerk,' smirked Helen.

'We can't all be computer prodigies, Helen. Some people have to work to achieve certain levels within certain disciplines.'

'Says the boy who can lift a hundred pounds with relative ease and who can throw a tennis ball across campus without breaking a sweat. Face it Scott, you're a lean, mean, fighting machine,' said Helen.

'Minus half a leg,' said Mary with a smile.

'Nice way to break a man down in four words,' mumbled Scott.

'We both know that I can do a lot more with much less.'

'Is that so? And what are you going to about this?'

Scott quickly advanced and picked up Mary with his big hands. He then threw her over his shoulder and started spinning. Finn jumped up and looked at the scene.

'Lemme go Scott,' laughed Mary. 'This is not funny!'

'Then why are you laughing?'

'Put me down! Finn, bite Scott!'

Finn only licked his nose and kept looking at the two spinning around in circles.

'Good boy,' replied Scott. 'He really is well trained.'

'Put me down Scott, or I'm going to start kicking and screaming.'

'Allright, allright, you don't have to threaten me like that,' Scott replied with a fake pout.

Scott stopped spinning and placed Mary with both feet on the grass. He held her for a second before letting her go. Mary kept chuckling until she took a seat and Finn laid himself next to her.

'Are you always this funny?' asked Sam.

'Only when a good situation is given,' Scott replied. 'I can be very serious if needed. Wanna give it a try?' Scott flashed a mischievous smile.

'No, thank you, I have crappy balance and it would take me at least an hour to walk again without going down,' Sam said.

Scott laughed and took a seat next to Mary. The Cherubs then started chatting away.

'So Scott's back?' asked Michael when the boys were sitting in the Science Math class. They were trying to solve the latest question that was written on the whiteboard. It involved a bridge and the forces of nature trying to rip it apart during a hurricane.

'Yeah, he came home about an hour ago. He seems like a fun guy,' whispered Sam.

'Which he usually is,' replied Michael. 'Although he can get a bit frustrated when it comes to computers, but he's really good at doing mechanical work.'

'Michael and Sam, are you done with the assignment?' asked Vera Rosewood, the twenty-nine year old teacher and head of the Science department. The boys didn't answer. 'Well?'

'No, ma'am,' replied Sam.

'Then shush and get it done by the end of the class or I'll give you an extra assignment since you've got time to talk during my class.'

'Yes ma'am,' replied Michael.

The two looked at each other with a smirk on their faces.

Later that evening the Broken Wings were sitting at the dining table. Sam was eating his dessert which consisted of a large slice of chocolate cake with a lump of vanilla ice-cream on top.

'So are you going into town this Friday?' asked Scott.

'Nope,' said Michael. 'Too much homework.'

'I might,' said Taylor.

'Yes,' said Helen. 'I need to escape campus for a couple of hours.'

'I'm not cleared yet,' replied Mary,' so probably not. But if I get the green light, I'm definitely going to nearest hamburger joint and stuff my face with the greasiest food they have on the menu.'

'Can I join you?' asked Scott. 'Bloody terrorists were all vegan. I would kill for some beef and fat.'

'Sure.'

'And what about you, Sam, wanna ditch campus and go out?'

'No thanks, I'm going to stay in and get an early night. I think I'll go to sleep on Friday and wake up on Sunday, BT got me trashed,' he replied before scooping up the last crumbs of cake.

'Yeah, been there, done that,' said Taylor. 'Sam, don't look over your shoulder, but there's someone looking straight at you. And she's blushing a bit.'

Sam slowly turned around and caught Catherine staring right into his eyes. She quickly lowered her gaze and flicked her red hair behind her ear.

'Ooh looks like someone has the hots for our little man,' teased Taylor.

'What? That's absurd. Catherine was with me in BT. She's nice, but I don't exactly see her as something more than a person I vaguely know.'

'You're right on that point,' said a voice from across the aisle.

Sam looked over and saw Jake smiling smugly at him. He was wearing his grey shirt as if it was the greatest trophy there was.

'Catherine could never be more than that, 'cause who would like to be a girlfriend with a damn cripple,' Jake said.

'What the hell man,' said the guy dressed in a black shirt who was sitting besides him. 'That's not cool.'

'It's the truth, it rarely is cool.'

'Just you shut your mouth before I close it for you,' growled Taylor.

Sam deposited his cutlery and stood up. 'Do you mind clearing my tray for me? Thanks.' He turned around and started walking towards the exit. Sam clenched his fists and tried to keep the anger that was building up on the inside.

'And she would definitely not befriend a coward,' Jake added laughingly.

Sam stopped dead in his tracks and faced Jake. 'What did you just call me?'

'A C-O-W-A-R-D,' spelled Jake. The murmur around the table died down.

Sam casually walked over and stood a table away. 'Sorry, I didn't get that. Stop mumbling and state it loud and clearly.'

'I said,' Jake spoke with a loud tone so that almost the entire dining hall stopped talking. 'You're nothing but a coward.' He jumped up and grinned at Sam. They were three feet from each other.

'At least I'm not lying on my back with blood running out of my nose,' Sam said while clenching his fist so tight that it hurted his muscles.

Jake started laughing and turned his gaze to his friends. 'Did you hear ...'

Sam had advanced swiftly and now his right fist made contact with Jake's nose. Jake tumbled on his back and groaned in agony. He was holding his nose, from which quite some blood was running. Sam released his fist and grimaced in pain. He flexed his fingers in order to make the pain go. Sam turned around and left the dining hall with a hundred gazes burning in his back.

'That's one hell of an asset right there,' said Helen with an amazed look on her face. She ignored the puzzled looks of the other Broken Wings.


	3. Reason

**A/N: Writing has been a bit slow on this chapter, I'll try to write them at a faster rate, but it's not that easy. A thanks to Valiant94 for favoriting this story and The Awesome Mr. L for reviewing the previous chapter. So keep reading and reviewing.**

Chapter 3: Reason.

Sam was sitting in the hallway in front of Zara's office. While fidgeting with his fingers and staring at the receptionist a couple of times, Sam was thinking about the reason why he had been woken at six in the morning to receive a message that stated that he was expected at Zara's office at seven. He stared at his bruised knuckles and sighed.

'You may enter now;' said the receptionist.

Sam jumped up and opened the door. He looked at Zara's office. The modern desk with a leather chair behind it and two simple chairs in front of it wasn't the greatest surprise. It were the toy cars and Lego pieces that were scattered around a thick carpet. Suddenly Sam realized Zara was looking straight at him.

'Have a seat, Sam,' she said with a neutral tone. She pointed at the chair in front of her.

'Do I have to tell you why you're in here? Or do you know?'

'I might have an idea.'

'Let me refresh your memory. Yesterday evening Jake O'Brien was treated for a broken nose in the medical facility. He claimed that you punched him after he made a slight joke.' Zara stared at Sam's puzzled face. 'On the other hand there are several witnesses that state that he insulted you and that you calmly walked out. They have no recollection of you hitting Jake in the face. How's your memory doing?'

Sam sighed. This would end in a severe punishment if he lied, Sam thought, so he sighed one more time before talking. 'I appreciate that people would do that for me, but they have told you half a lie. I punched Jake in the face, I'll gladly admit that since I've always wanted to do it ever since basic training. But he did insult me before I took action.'

'And what did he call you?' she asked in a friendlier tone.

'He called me a cripple and a coward for not wanting to attack him. I can live with the fact that people will call me a cripple, I've had my fair share at school. I don't like or approve of it, since it's a word that doesn't fit me at all. None of the Broken Wings for that matter. And if there's one thing I'm not, it's a coward. I think I proved that during basic training.'

'That's good enough. You know that I can't let this one slide. So for your punishment you will swim 120 lengths in the 50 metre pool. Dana and Kerry have the specific details, so they'll get back to you on that.'

Sam looked at Zara with a puzzled look as it was more common to receive laps around the track for a punishment than the one he just received. 'Okay,' he replied cautiously.

'There's one final thing, Sam. Word goes around that you have trouble seeing the reason why you were chosen for Cherub.'

'I do,' Sam replied truthfully.

'It's really not that hard, why don't you try to figure it out? If you can figure it out before midnight, I might consider dropping your punishment,' Zara said with a faint smile.

'Thank you, I guess.'

'Now go get some breakfast and of to class, mister.'

'Eh, Miss Asker...'

'Mrs Asker,' Zara corrected. 'Or Zara.'

'I don't have classes until ten.'

'Not anymore. Please go to the gym and be there by eight. And don't be late.'

'Yes Ma'am.'

Sam left the office and immediately went to the dining hall. There he took a seat with the other early birds and started eating a bowl of cereal. Upon recollection of the earlier remark made by Zara, Sam started thinking about it, but nothing came to mind. He knew that the people that were chosen to join Cherub were either brilliant in academics or physical skills. As far as he knew he was part of the academic side, but that didn't make him more special than others. Sam finished his bowl of cereal and checked his watch and saw that he had fifteen minutes to get to the gym.

'Damn, I'll have to run,' Sam groaned to himself before quickly discarding his tray and dashing towards the exit. He descended the stair two steps at the time, while trying not to trip over his own to feet. When Sam reached the ground floor, he had thirteen minutes left and he was already breathing heavily.

'Shit,' he cursed when quickly making his way towards the back door of the main building.

A red shirt carer gave him a dirty look, while a group of red shirts passed by. 'Sorry, 'bout that,' Sam said escaping through the back door. The sky was clear, but it wasn't very warm. Sam set course towards the gym at full speed. He had ten minutes left.

The two people stopped their activity and joined Sam while he was trying to catch his breath. Sam was lying on his back after tripping. While wheezing and trying to talk, Sam stared into the eyes of the girl and boy who towered above him. She had brown hair that was kept in a knot and brown eyes. He had a crew cut and grey eyes. They were both wearing navy shirts.

'Running isn't your strong point is it?' asked the girl.

Sam tried to answer, but ended up nodding in agreement.

'We were tasked to dish out punishment if you were late, which you are. One whole minute, to specify,' said the boy. 'But we know that Kerry and Dana aren't the easiest handlers to have, so we'll let it slide. And don't worry if your going to be late for this class, we're pretty terrible at that so ...'

'Thanks,' said Sam between gasps of air.

'Now, would you like to rest a bit before we start class?' asked the girl.

'Yes, that would be nice.'

The boy helped Sam back on his feet and together they took a seat at the small table where, to Sam's surprise, a game of Settlers of Catan was being played.

'By the way, I'm Wendy and this gentleman is Liam. Do you know the game?' Wendy asked while pointing at the board.

'Is Basic Training pure hell?' retorted Sam.

'I'll take that as a yes,' said Liam with a light chuckle.

Sam took a seat while Wendy cleared the board. Liam gave Sam his starting pieces and waited until Wendy had rearranged the board. When the board had been reshaped, Liam placed his first village.

'While starting the game, I'll explain the reason why you were send to this 'special class',' said Wendy placing her village on the spot that gave her direct access to a 3:1 change point. 'This course will replace your regular karate lessons and an extra lesson on this day. Liam will teach you how to give those fists a purpose, you'll be taught the basics and other techniques of boxing. Now you may wonder what my role in this is, well, I'll be coordinating your physical training/condition, together with balance and hand-eye coordination. Any questions?'

'You didn't actually give the reason, but I can understand it,' said Sam. 'Basically, because karate and other martial arts are nothing for me and they want me to learn a way to defend myself.'

'That's true,' said Liam. 'but, we could still teach you karate or judo, if you'd like that.'

'Maybe later on. If you're going to be helping me with physical stuff, you have talked about what my condition is with Dana,' said Sam directing his remark towards Wendy.

'Yes, but she didn't give me the full details yet. Now, are you going to place that final village or do you want to keep us waiting forever?'

Sam smirked and placed his final village in a spot which granted his an immediate supply of ore and grain.

'You just had to push him, didn't you,' said Liam gritting his teeth.

Sam just smiled and started working out a strategy.

After finishing the game (Liam won with two point difference), they were ready to start the hour of training that was left. Wendy and Liam decided that Sam would learn some basic principles about boxing. Liam produced two rolls of black cloth and a pair of small boxing gloves. He deposited the items on the table.

'These rolls of cloth is elastic tape that you wrap around your hand and wrist in order to protect them. Rule number one: always wrap your hands when training, sparring and fighting. If I ever see you entering a ring without wrapped hands, I'll smack you,' Liam spoke seriously. 'And I seriously mean it.' Liam them placed a small loop over his thumb and slowly wrapped his left hand in the tape, while explaining every move to Sam. 'Do remember to wrap your fingers in tightly in order to give them maximum protection.'

Sam tried it with the other piece of tape. Besides a single suggestion made by Liam, he did it pretty quickly and efficiently. A congratulation later Sam had both hands tightly wrapped up.

'So, what's next?' asked Sam following Liam into the ring.

'Determination of style.' replied Wendy while donning gloves which were made of rectangular pads. She then held the gloves up and waited. 'Let's see what you can do.'

'Just try to hit the pads,' said Liam. 'I already think that I have the style for you, but let's do some more research.'

Sam held his fists up high and advanced on Wendy. He swung his right hand towards the pad. He made contact. With a congratulatory smile from Wendy Sam landed a string of punches on the pads. Most of his punches came from his right hand with the occasional left handed punch. Wendy started moving around in the ring, forcing Sam to follow. Suddenly Wendy evaded the punch and retaliated with a gentle smack against his forehead.

'You let your guard down,' she reprimanded laughingly staring at Sam's shocked face.

'That's enough for today,' announced Liam. 'You're free to go. We'll start training regularly from now on.'

'What's my style?' asked Sam while unwrapping his hands.

'I'd go for brawler,' answered Liam. 'That requires less mobility in the ring, but we'll have to work on defense and endurance. But, I'll get back on that next time.'

'Alright,' said Sam. 'I'll be here.'

'Thursday, four o'clock,' said Wendy. 'And bring your strategies.'

Sam smirked while backing out of the gym. 'O, I ask you a question?'

'Shoot,' replied both trainers.

'Any ideas why I got chosen to join Cherub?'

'Determination,' replied Wendy. 'And you showed potential.'

'Because you're smart,' said Liam. 'Why'd you ask?'

'No reason,' said Sam before leaving.

Wendy turned around and stared at Liam. 'Brawler? The kid had some serious punching power and pretty fast arms. Sam could pass for a puncher as well,' said Wendy. 'I had to refrain myself from retreating when he landed that power punch. His right hand is damn strong.'

'He's right handed, right? Yet he fights like a southpaw,' said Liam. 'Could you ask Dana for some more info?'

'Sure.'

Later that day, Sam was strolling around campus wearing his headphones. He had thought about Zara's challenge, but couldn't figure the main reason why he was chosen to join Cherub. Sam sat himself down and listened to Breaking The Habit by Linkin Park. On the pitch a group of cherubs was playing a game of football. Apparently it was a game of girls against boys and the girls were winning. A girl wearing a navy shirt sent the ball flying and landed it in the upper corner of the goal.

'Enjoying the game?' asked a voice behind him.

Sam turned his head and watched as Dana took a seat besides him. Sam turned off his Ipod and hung his headphones around his neck. 'Dunno, I just took a seat here to think.'

'About what?' asked Dana.

'You know that I sucker punched Jake in the face?'

Dana nodded with a faint smile. 'Based on what Helen told me, that wasn't a sucker punch.'

'News travels fast,' replied Sam. 'Anyway, Zara called me in this morning and gave my punishment. 120 lengths in the 50 meter pool. Unless I can figure why I was chosen to join Cherub before midnight.'

'And why is that so hard?' replied Dana.

Sam turned around and faced Dana. She was looking at him with her blue eyes. The look on her face was friendly. It was so different from the Dana he knew from the rumors and stories. 'Because I seriously don't know. Surely it can't be for my physical condition, we both know how that's going.' Dana chuckled. 'If I turn towards academics and intelligence it seems that I am smart and have some ability.'

'And why do you think this isn't enough?'

'Because what can I offer Cherub if I seven year olds can outrun me and two thirds of the campus is intelligent with half of those have some awesome skills?'

'And you don't have some awesome skills? From what I've heard, you've got a right hook that is a force to be reckoned with, you seem to be quite the strategist, you show a lot of determination in everything what you do. Do I need to continue?'

'But how do these thing give me an advantage when I can't even cut a piece of paper in a straight line?'

Dana grabbed Sam's shoulders and pulled him closer. A hint of anger flashed into her eyes. 'Are you still wearing those headphones or are you turning deaf? Will you please stop being so negative about yourself. You're a good boy and you will be a great agent once you start your missions. Don't you dare thinking you're less because there's a small part of your body that acts up. You want to have the answer? You are in Cherub because you deserve it and the English Intelligence can be happy to have you. Is that clear, Roadmap?'

Sam nodded. 'I think I get it now.'

'Good,' said Dana while releasing Sam's shoulders. 'Now, for that punishment you are supposed to swim 120 lengths in two days, you can choose the style.'

'I don't think I'll be swimming anytime soon,' Sam replied with a smile.

'Before you go running off to Zara's, have you ever heard of Hephaestus?'

'The Greek god that is a blacksmith? Yeah, why'd you ask?'

'Look him up on the net tonight. You'll understand, if you're clever enough that is,' Dana added with a grin.

Sam stared at her while printing the name in his memory. He took off to find Zara.

'So have you come to give me an answer?' asked Zara.

'Yes.'

'I'm listening.'

'I have chosen not to answer the question. It doesn't matter why I am here, the only thing that matters is that I try to make the best of it,' Sam said confidently.

'That's a brave decision you made. Maybe it's a good idea to start your missions. Now off you go, you still have classes to attend.'

Sam froze and stared at Zara for a full three seconds before making his way towards the exit.

'Mister Cross, I still expect to get a report where it is stated that you have completed your punishment of eighty lengths. Dana has the specifics.'

Sam smiled as he closed the door behind him.

Later that evening, he was sitting behind his computer and read the Wikipedia page. Hephaestus was the Greek god of the blacksmiths and craftsmen. According the legends he was lame, but had strong arms and had forged the weapons and other objects used by the gods. Hephaestus had been thrown out of Olympus by his mother, Hera because he had bad feet. Although he came back and had his revenge, he was laughed upon by the other gods. Sam closed the page and stared at his hands.

'A blacksmith? Well, he always needs an anvil and a hammer.'

Sam closed his hands into fists and smiled.

**A/N II: Me again. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next will involve Sam's first mission and a bit more of the Broken Wings. Please Rate and Review. And spread the word :)**


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